The Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics (
German
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* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
: ''Max-Planck-Institut für Immunbiologie und Epigenetik'') in
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
is an
interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
research institute that conducts basic research in modern
immunobiology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...
,
developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of Regeneration (biology), regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and di ...
and
epigenetics
In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are "o ...
. It was founded in 1961 as the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and is one of 86 institutions of the
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...
. Originally named the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology, it was renamed to its current name in 2010 as it widened its research thrusts to the study of epigenetics.
The researchers of the institute study the development of the immune system and analyse the genes and molecules which are important for its function. They also seek to establish which factors control the maturation of immune cells and how chemical changes of the DNA influence the immune defense. The biologist
Georges J. F. Köhler, a co-recipient of the 1984
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...
, was director of the institute from 1984 until his death in 1995.
History
The institute was founded in 1961 and grew out of the research activities of the pharmaceutical company Wander AG in Freiburg. By the 1970s, MPIIE was engaged in studies focusing on interactions between infectious agents, particularly
endotoxin
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide that are bacterial toxins. They are composed of an O-antigen, an outer core, and an inner core all joined by a covalent bond, and are found in the outer ...
, and the human immune system. The research scope was then expanded into cellular and molecular mechanisms of B and T cells in the next decade. From the 1990s, the institute focused increasingly on genetic imprinting and epigenetics. The research fields were later expanded to include molecular mechanisms of lymphoid cell differentiation and the regulation of genes via extracellular signals. In 2007, the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology included
epigenetics
In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are "o ...
as a new research department and thus the institute was formally renamed the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in 2010.
Organization
The Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics is organised into four departments (currently Chromatin Regulation, Epigenetics, Developmental Immunology & Biological Physics). In addition to the four departments, ten research groups are currently active at MPI-IE, as well as 1 emeritus research group. They are either department-associated or department-independent. All groups are considered equivalent. The institute also included an adjunct University Department on Molecular Immunology headed by Michael Reth from 2002 to 2017, the Spemann Laboratory from 1990 to 2021, which aimed to promote the early independence of junior scientists.
Chromatin Regulation
The Department of Chromatin Regulation, under
Asifa Akhtar
Asifa Akhtar is a Pakistani biologist who has made significant contributions to the field of chromosome regulation. She is Senior Group Leader and Director of the Department of Chromatin Regulation at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and E ...
, aims to study
chromatin
Chromatin is a complex of DNA and protein found in eukaryotic cells. The primary function is to package long DNA molecules into more compact, denser structures. This prevents the strands from becoming tangled and also plays important roles in r ...
and epigenetic mechanisms within
gene regulation
Regulation of gene expression, or gene regulation, includes a wide range of mechanisms that are used by cells to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products (protein or RNA). Sophisticated programs of gene expression are wide ...
. the department further looks into whether chromosome organization and nuclear architecture plays a role in transcription activity and how this influences X chromosomal regulation. These are done through a holistic application of dosage compensations through biochemical, genetic, genomic and bioinformatic methodologies
Developmental Immunology
Under the leadership of Thomas Boehm, the Department of Developmental Immunology strives to understand the biology and evolution of
lymphoid organs
The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid ...
and the
adaptive immune system
The adaptive immune system, also known as the acquired immune system, is a subsystem of the immune system that is composed of specialized, systemic cells and processes that eliminate pathogens or prevent their growth. The acquired immune system ...
,
intestinal immune system
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
, and adaptive and innate immunity. The department consists of two independent research groups.
Epigenetics
Headed by
Thomas Jenuwein
Thomas Jenuwein (born 1956) is a Germans, German scientist working in the fields of epigenetics, chromatin biology, gene regulation and genome function.
Biography
Thomas Jenuwein received his Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1987 from the Europea ...
, the department focuses on basic epigenetic mechanisms in normal development and complex diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The department consists of two independent research groups.
Biological Physics
The Department of Biological Physics, under
Ibrahim Cissé, using live cell Single Molecule and Super-Resolution imaging
to study biomolecular interactions in mammalian cells.
Management
The Management Board of the MPI comprises elected scientific members of the Max Planck Society. These serve a dual function as co-directors of the institute and as department heads. The managing directorship rotates every three years among these co-directors. Currently, the Management Board (Kollegium) comprises the following members:
Managing Director:
*
Thomas Jenuwein
Thomas Jenuwein (born 1956) is a Germans, German scientist working in the fields of epigenetics, chromatin biology, gene regulation and genome function.
Biography
Thomas Jenuwein received his Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1987 from the Europea ...
Scientific Members:
*
Asifa Akhtar
Asifa Akhtar is a Pakistani biologist who has made significant contributions to the field of chromosome regulation. She is Senior Group Leader and Director of the Department of Chromatin Regulation at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and E ...
* Thomas Boehm
*
Ibrahim Cissé
Adjunct Scientific Member:
*
Michael Sela
Michael Sela ( he, מיכאל סלע; Mieczysław Salomonowicz; 2 March 1924 – 27 May 2022) was an Israeli immunologist of Polish Jewish origin. He was the W. Garfield Weston Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Re ...
*Barbara B. Knowles
*Michael Reth
*
Alain Fischer
Alain Fischer (born 11 September 1949 in Paris) is a doctor, professor of pediatric immunology and French researcher in biology.
Biography
Alain Fischer's father had wanted to become a doctor, but had been prevented from doing so by the numerou ...
Directorship
The following were the directors of the institute:
*1961–1982 Otto Westphal
*1964–1981 Herbert Fischer
*1965–1988 Otto Lüderitz
*1981–2004 Klaus Eichmann
*1984–1995
Georges J. F. Köhler
*1991–2006
Davor Solter Davor Solter (born March 22, 1941) is a Yugoslavian-born developmental biologist, particularly known for his pioneering work on mammalian genomic imprinting. He is Emeritus Member and Director, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics; ...
*1992–2013
Rolf Kemler
Rolf Kemler (born 13 February 1945), is a German molecular biologist who is currently the Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics. He has contributed significantly to the study of anchoring junctions, specif ...
*2004–2020 Rudolf Grosschedl
*2015–2020
Erika L. Pearce
*2021--
Ibrahim Cissé
Graduate program
Th
International Max Planck Research School for Immunobiology, Epigenetics, and Metabolism(IMPRS-IEM) is a PhD program covering practical experimental skills in molecular and cellular biology and theoretical knowledge and in-depth analysis of scientific literature. IMPRS-IEM is the successor program to
(IMPRS-MCB), which established in 2006 on the initiative of scientists of th
Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburgand the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and is run in cooperation with the University of Freiburg.
References
External links
Homepage of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and EpigeneticsHomepage of the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Immunobiology, Epigenetics, and Metabolism
{{Max Planck Society
Immunobiology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...
Education in Freiburg im Breisgau
Genetics in Germany
Immunology organizations
Medical research institutes in Germany
Molecular biology institutes
1961 establishments in Germany